Crimson Thorns
by Silver-Winged Bird
Summary: Yao Wang meets a little girl who apologizes to him for a wrong he doesn't know she has committed. He turns around to find innocent people suffering from a lethal ailment that kills within days, and the world reunites for a new purpose: to eradicate the earth of the pandemic that gives them a one-way ticket to hell. CHARACTER DEATH, blood, gore, insanity. You have been warned.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

New story! I wanted to try something outside the American Revolution world, and the first thing that came to mind was... a pandemic outbreak in the world. Inspired by the flash game Pandemic II, here is my newest story: Crimson Thorns. Featuring Higurashi and Umineko no Naku Koro Ni, this is in the third person P.o.V. of China. Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

The little girl with long brown hair, and pleading amber eyes ran around the large crowd of people, tears gushing down her face. She was reaching a hand out to multiple crowds of people, apologizing over and over again, hoping they would hear her. She was sobbing almost uncontrollably; her eyes were red and swollen and her face flushed a dark color. "I'm sorry, sir! I'm sorry, miss! I'm really sorry!"

Despite the wails from the child, no one seemed to pay her any attention. Everyone sauntered past her, not even considering stopping to console her. A few glances were shot at her, but no one did anything else. One person had the audacity to tell her to shut up, but the girl continued to cry.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, trying to wipe her tears away, "I'm sorry…"

"Hey, what's the matter?"

The little girl looked up to see an effeminate man with long dark hair pulled back into a pony tail and a thin build, his brown eyes searching her in deep concern. "Why are you crying? Are you lost?"

The girl sniffed, trying to compose herself. "What's your name?"

The man smiled. "I am Yao Wang," he introduced himself politely. "And yours?"

"Taeko," she answered softly.

Yao blinked. "Where are you from, Taeko?"

"I am from a village in Japan."

"Japan?" Yao's smile faltered. "You are from Japan? Then what are you doing here in China? It's a sea apart from where you are from."

The girl's bottom lip quivered. "I know. I was looking for someone."

"… Really…?" The Chinese man stooped down to meet her eye level. "You were just apologizing to different people. Why?"

"They'll find out, and they'll hate me forever," she mumbled in despair. "You will, too."

Yao shook his head. "I don't understand. Why would I hate you? You did me no harm."

"Not yet," she corrected.

"What do you mean?"

Taeko ignored the question. She gave Yao the saddest gaze yet. "Do you know who China is?"

Yao blinked. "What a silly question. Of course I know who China is! It is my home. This country, the soil I stand on, the people, the power, the dream… This," he raised his arms up with pride, "is China."

"No," she shook her head. "Not the nation… the person… Do you know who the ambassador of China is?"

The man stopped to look at her closely. How did she know personified countries existed? Sure there are a handful of people who know, like those in power in the government, but the fact that this little girl from a remote village in Japan knows that they exist was enough to leave him dumbfounded. Has she met Kiku Honda, the human version of Japan? "… I… know who he is…" he replied absently, pointing at himself. "… It's me…"

"You…?" Taeko's eyes shifted to meet his. "You are China?"

"… Yes…"

Taeko's eyes welled up with tears again. She released a choked, "I'm sorry," as she leaned in to press a soft kiss where Yao's Jugular vein was on the left side of his throat. Yao watched in awe as the girl wailed again before pivoting on her heels and running away into the huge crowd of people.

"Taeko! Wait!" Yao called, trying to run after her. He followed her up the street, hoping to catch the child and get her to explain herself. He watched her take a sharp right turn and grinned. That alley was a dead end. She had nowhere else to run. "I've got you-"

She was gone.

Yao skidded to a stop and stared at the empty space ahead of him. The girl that had called herself Taeko ran into this alley and just… vanished. There were no doors or ladders around, so there was no way she could have escaped the dead end so quickly. At first he doubted if she was real to begin with, but no… she was definitely real… she kissed him. He felt her lips, her cold but soft lips, on his flesh and on his vein. The feeling was still there, and he knew she was real.

But… why did she kiss him?

Yao leaned against the wall and released a sigh, running his fingers in his hair. His hand ran down the area where Taeko's lips met his skin, and he felt something… wet? It was wet and warm… The first thing that came to mind was saliva, and he grimaced at the thought. It didn't seem like it was a sloppy kiss that she had given him, but it was the only explanation. That or sweat… but it was cold today… He pulled back his hand to gaze at the mysterious liquid, and his heart stopped.

"… Is this… blood?"


	2. Chapter 2: Patient Zero

And now on to introduce other main characters in this plot! The usual cast, of course... But you know. Well, without further ado, I give you chapter two! (/shot)

* * *

"Of course, none of this would have happened if it wasn't for that damned frog over there!"

"Is it really necessary to blame me, _Mon__chéri_, for something you brought upon yourself?"

"Seriously guys, stop fighting so you can listen to my awesome hero speech!"

"It's so noisy in here!"

"But it won't be for long once I crush everyone and mane them become one with me, да?"

"Everyone focus on the meeting!"

As usual, the conference room was filled to the brim with chit-chat, arguments, shouts, and crashes as small tensions sparked fights between nations that were already on bad terms with one another and resulted in something breaking or somebody getting hurt. Even with the German veteran Ludwig Beilschmidt trying to take control of the meeting drill-sergeant style, all was in chaos. But, then again, it wasn't new.

The ambassadors of the United Kingdom and France, Arthur Kirkland and Francis Bonnefoy, bickered and spat and growled at each other, with Arthur's face red with fury and Francis's smile smug and cocky. The representative of the United States, Alfred F. Jones, made a weak attempt to resolve the conflict by proposing they stop to listen to his usually-pathetic speeches about the topic of the meeting. Italian man Feliciano Vargas, once asleep with his head on the desk, awoke with a start and whined at the volume of the shouts and swears. Next to him sat Ivan Braginski, the eccentric Russian who sat in silence and happily watched the fight of the two European nations play out in front of him. Another silent man, Kiku Honda of Japan, folded his hands on his lap and pondered in deep thought, refraining from speaking after sensing the tense mood in the room. And again, German representative Ludwig tried to silence the room with another bellowing demand.

Yao Wang, the Chinese man, wrote several notes on his paper regarding the very unnecessarily controversial topic of global warming. He sighed and put his documents away in a folder, patiently waiting for the two blond men of England and France to stop fighting.

"Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere," Ludwig said crossly, taking his seat after standing for a while. "Arthur and Francis! I am talking to you!"

Arthur released the collar of Francis's shirt and composed himself. "Terribly sorry," he replied curtly, "my… _colleague_ here did a wonderful job ruining my mood, as usual."

"Dude, you're _never_ in a good mood!" Alfred quipped, slapping the Brit's back. "It ain't Francis's fault all the time!"

Arthur cringed at the sudden impact and shot the American a death glare. "Yes, you are absolutely right; it's not always his fault. But when he's not the one ruining my day, it's YOU!"

Francis adjusted his shirt. "You are very funny. You're quick to blame everyone but yourself. Have you no remorse for anything you've done?"

"I've done no wrong, you git!"

Yao released another audible sigh and stood up. "I don't have time for this… Stop fighting so we may continue the discussion." He glanced at all the quiet people in the room. "Some of us wish to remain on topic, and you guys, breaking out into dumb conflicts over almost nothing at all, waste our valuable time." He glowered at Arthur and Francis. "You should keep your arguments and fights outside those doors over there! If you can't be at peace in here, then you don't belong here. The Hundred Years War is over."

Arthur and Francis glanced at one another and then to the floor, their eyes finding their shoes fascinating.

Yao inhaled deeply and continued, "We came to this meeting to discuss something more important than our own egos and our own personal records versus someone else's. If neither of you have anything else to say on the matter, then I suggest either you two leave or we dismiss the meeting, so those of us who do wish to talk business can—"

_Disease spotted in China…_

Yao's breath hitched in his throat and he burst into a painful coughing fit. He covered his mouth with his sleeve to avoid spraying germs everywhere, but he almost could not breathe. He fell back in his seat, his chest throbbing in pain. His heart felt like its chambers split open like a flower's petals, and an excruciating agony was released all over his body, coursing to every nerve and muscle in his body. The world around him began to turn black, and he felt as if he was going to faint…

And just as soon as it had started, the entire pain vanished, and there was not a trace of pain or illness at all.

The other men had definitely noticed and were alarmed at Yao's sudden decline in health. Kiku rushed to Yao's side to help him. "Are you alright, Yao?" he asked, showing pure concern for the older man.

Yao inhaled deeply and found his breathing had returned to normal. Despite his flushed face, he showed no signs of an ailment at all. "I'm fine Kiku. There's no need to worry about me." He smiled. "Thank you."

Kiku nodded a bit reluctantly, but returned the smile.

Ludwig shook his head. "If you are ill, you should have told us sooner," he muttered tiredly, rubbing his temples. "Not only are you straining yourself by coming all this way to Europe to make this meeting, you put the rest of us at risk for catching your illness."

"I just said I was fine, Ludwig," Yao responded testily, slightly narrowing his eyes. "I… simply choked on my own saliva."

It was obviously a lie, but everyone else seemed to buy it, as evidenced by the grossed out looks on their faces.

"Lovely," Arthur muttered under his breath. He looked away quickly when the Chinese man scowled at him.

"Very well," Ludwig nodded, and cleared his throat. "Alfred, you already presented your… _solution_. You may take your seat."

The American frowned, but did as told and tucked his papers back into his folder and lied back lazily.

"Does anyone have anything else to discuss?" The German asked, his intimidating gaze staring at all except Feliciano and Kiku, his allies and friends.

"I didn't bring my notes with me," Francis admitted, smiling nervously and folding his hands on top of each other.

"Same," Arthur muttered, taking his seat beside Alfred.

"If I may," Ivan spoke softly, raising his hand, "we in Russia have new technology that is more efficient in burning fuel and producing less carbon dioxide."

Everyone turned to the Russian man with looks of awe, all but Alfred. The young American folded his arms over his chest and glared at Ivan who stated his 'not-so-pathetic' idea.

Yao sighed again, losing track of how many times he had exhaled so huffily that day. He wasn't exhausted or stressed. It was out of annoyance at these immature representatives who found it fun to poke at each other and participate in other's squabbles. Ludwig was one of the only exceptions, but other than that, they were all the same. It was as if he was babysitting these idiots, Alfred especially!

Alfred was always the one to take everything either as a joke, or as a challenge. He WAS from the United States of America, the youngest but proudest nation at this meeting after all. He was also the youngest at these meetings; he was only 19. Why was he allowed to attend, instead of maybe 20 to 30 other men who were twice or even thrice his age and much more mature than he?

Not that it mattered. The US would have to deal with it, not China.

The other representatives were not much older than the American. Ludwig and Feliciano were 20. Arthur was 23 while Francis was 26. Kiku was somewhere between 20 or 25, but he didn't seem to really recall too well. And Ivan… hmm… had he really ever gotten the Russian's age? He remembered even less than he did for Kiku.

Something had appeared outside the conference room, and Yao spotted it from the corner of his eye. It was pale, had a dark brown accessory hanging from it, and was in the shape of a small human. With a closer look, the amber "accessory" turned out to be hair, long and silky hair, flowing from the head of what was a little girl, her eyes void of light. She looked like she was in despair, but her face was absent of tears.

… A girl with brown hair and amber brown eyes…?

Yao's heart skipped a beat.

That was Taeko!

_I'm sorry… _her lips read as she worded every syllable in silence; _I'm sorry, I'm sorry…_

"Taeko!" Yao declared, standing up from his seat and slamming his palms on the table.

Everyone in the room, even Ludwig, was startled from the tiny man's outburst. Ivan was silenced from continuing his speech, and he didn't look too happy with that. Alfred took one small look outside the door's window before looking back at the Chinese man.

"Is everything alright, Yao?" Ivan asked with slight irritation in his voice.

"What's the matter?" Francis chimed in, twirling his pen in his hand.

Yao pointed out the small window. "There! There's that little girl I saw last week! She's here! Don't you see her?"

Several of the men tilted their heads towards the door, but gave him dissatisfied looks.

"I don't see anyone," Kiku said after a while. "Are you sure someone is there?"

"Yes!" Yao retorted with a frown. "She is still there! Look!"

"No one is there, Yao," Arthur replied bluntly. "We are the only ones in this building, remember?"

Yao glared at him. "Are you blind? Are you _all_ blind? She is still there!"

Ludwig stood behind Yao and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps you are more ill than we thought."

Feliciano nodded with a blissful smile. "Maybe it's from old age! Or lack of sleep. How many hours of sleep did you get?"

"9 hours!" Yao snarled, folding his arms over his chest. "And I am not as old as you say I am! I do not even look old! YOU are all just infants!"

Kiku turned to Alfred, who was surprisingly quiet despite the turmoil. "Did you happen to see anything by any chance, Alfred?"

The teenager shook his head. "Hope. No one was there," he admitted with a frown. "Looks like Yao's not doing too good after all."

"Agreed," Ludwig picked up his briefcase and stored his files inside. "This meeting is dismissed. We shall meet again in Moscow next week, so Yao, Kiku, and Ivan do not have to travel far. And bring your documents next time! We shall discuss alternatives for fossil fuels ato reduce toxic emissions into the ozone layer…"

As the German kept on talking, Yao took one last look out the door's window. Taeko was still there, mouthing a message to him. But the words were different, he realized. Her lips shaped new syllables, and they read:

PAY… SHUN… SEE… ROW…

The Chinese man blinked. Had he read her lips right…? Maybe he missed something… No, that was her message, even if it didn't make sense. He tried to put them together:

"Pay-shun… see-row…"

What? It still made no sense! Perhaps she was only saying two words with two syllables each. It was likely; she did pause a bit after the second syllable. But what does pay-shun sound like? And what word is similar to see-row?

Wait a minute… See-row… Was she saying _zero?_ And then pay-shun… _patient? _Yes, _zero _and _patient _were the closest things her lips read.

"Patient zero…?"

Yao's heart stopped. So he _did _have an ailment of some sort! But what was it? He was the host of what disease?

"I'm sorry," Taeko whispered into the glass, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Yao… you are patient zero."

* * *

And let the angst begin! Just kidding! Not yet, anyway. And yes, Yao, you are old. Stop denying it.

Thanks for reading, guys! 3 to you all!


	3. Chapter 3: The Seed that Lies Within

Long chapter is long! Just a warning to you, I may not have so much free time to keep posting updates as quickly as I do now, since my hand is recovering pretty quickly (am I supposed to be happy or sad it is?), but I am still inspired to write/type this thing! :D Please just ignore my rant and enjoy!

* * *

Yao had returned to his home in China from the conference with the other U.N. members in Berlin a week ago, and did not hesitate to speed his way into the door and toss his suitcase and bags on the floor. Usually when he flew back to China, Kiku would fly with him to take the transfer plane back to Japan. But Yao, according to the other representatives, was ill and needed to be sent home immediately after the meeting was over. The Japanese man stayed behind in Europe to discuss '_unimportant matters_' with Alfred (which may have involved video games), so Yao went back to Asia alone.

"Those guys…" he groaned, running his fingers through his hair tiredly, "Seriously… why do I have to put up with them every day? They are infants, I tell you! Spoiled brats who want their way! Why did things have to change so much? I wanted everything to stay the same." He was about to close the door until he noticed a man drenched in sweat run up to him.

"Excuse me!"

Yao looked him up and down. "Yes? Can I help you with something?"

"Yes please," the man nodded, trying to control his breathing. "We have just moved here to China, and my wife has fallen ill with a strenuous cough and terrible chest pains. Do you know where the closest hospital is, by any chance?"

The Chinese man blinked. This man was definitely from the United States. He could tell by the skin hugging jeans and the loose T-shirt. He was quite young, not too much older than Alfred; that much was for certain. How was such a young fellow married at this age?

"Yes," Yao nodded; his English was choppy, but he didn't really care at the moment, and the man didn't seem to mind either. He pointed a finger to the right and continued, "Go down this street for two blocks before you see an airport. Turn to your left and keep on going down that street until you see the big building. That should be it."

The American's face lit up happily. "Thank you!" He nodded before pivoting on his heels and sprinting in the direction of the airport.

Yao waved him off, but could not think about anything other than his own decline in health the week before. What had caused him to cough like that? What exactly had happened? He did not understand. And about as soon as the pain had rendered the man paralyzed from head to toe, the agony had just vanished, and he was well again… or seemed well again. He definitely remembered the pain, the difficulty to breathe, and the '_blooming_' of his heart's _petals._ It was all so weird.

The Chinese man found himself racing for the hospital, determined to find out what he was ailing from.

* * *

"I'm suffering from _what?_"

The doctor shook his head and adjusted his glasses on his face, handing his patient an image of an echo cardiogram of his heart. "There's nothing wrong that you are severely suffering from. There are no drastic symptoms that are affecting you, but there is one thing my nurses and I find alarming." He pointed to a certain area in the picture with a frown. "That right there… There is some mysterious… _thing _lodged in your heart."

Yao, not looking pleased at all at this point, took the scanned image and stared hardly at it. "… What is it?"

The doctor shrugged, twirling his pen in his hand. "From the looks of it, it looks a lot like a… a seed…"

Yao stared at him dumbfounded. "A seed? Like a plant seed?"

"Yes."

"That is unbelievable!" the patient exclaimed, very much on the verge of panic. "If there was a real seed in my heart, wouldn't I have died already? It would have obstructed blood flow!"

The doctor sighed, advising Yao to calm down. "That is what should have happened, odd as it sounds to be there in the first place. But it didn't. You are still… healthy, more or less. It isn't causing any complications to your circulatory systems like one would assume. My question is," he continued, leaning against the counter, "how did you know something was… off about your health?"

Yao's eyes never left the image, but he clearly recalled the conference that ended abruptly the week before. "I broke out into a painful coughing fit. My chest hurt very badly, and I could not breathe at all. And as soon as I was about to faint, the pain had vanished completely, and I thought I was well again." He glared at the image. "Or so I thought."

"That is strange," his doctor admitted, searching through his own files. "These symptoms you told me about… the chest pain, the inability to breathe, and the coughing… all showed up in 16 other patients."

Yao's eyes widened and he looked the man in awe. "You are kidding!"

"I wish I was," the man mumbled sadly, "but I am not. 16 other people have complained of the same thing. They also have these peculiar seeds in their hearts, and we are just waiting for family consent to remove these… _abominations_ of 'seeds' surgically."

_New symptom: Fever…_

Yao heard a voice in his head, a disembodied voice, making a strange statement about a fever in his head. A symptom… it said a new symptom… Was it referring to the ailment he has..? … Oh no… It was doing damage now. Whatever this thing is, it must have evolved and alerted the immune system. Yao's heart sank and it became a bit difficult to breathe. He was hoping that it wouldn't do any further damage anytime soon…

"Doctor Huang!"

The doctor turned to look at a nurse who had just showed up at the door. "What is it, Sheri?"

The woman Sheri pointed down the hall. "The patients with the suspicious foreign objects in their hearts have high fevers above 38°C!"

"What?" Dr. Huang's eyes widened, standing on his feet and readying himself to sprint out the door.

Sheri nodded. "They also seem to have these strange veins protruding from their skin… like thorns," she added, wearing a grossed out look on her face. "They are on both sides of the throat where the Jugulars are. They hemorrhage easily, so it's best not to touch them."

The doctor sped over to the nurse. "Check this patient to see if he has those two symptoms. I'm going to operate. Make sure the other surgeons get to the E.R. so we may begin the briefing."

"Yes, I will as soon as possible," she nodded and walked up to the stunned Yao. "How are you feeling?"

Yao was slightly trembling in fear, but he managed to keep his composure. "I'm alright, physically," he admitted, looking down. "But I am in despair over what you've just told me about the other people here sick with the same thing."

The nurse examined his throat and smiled, reaching into one of the drawers to pull out a thermometer. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary, so I believe you're ok. Open your mouth."

Yao opened his mouth for her to stick the electronic thermometer under his tongue. After a few seconds, it beeped, and the patient opened his mouth for the lady to take it out and check the temperature. As soon as the corners of her lips turned upward, he relaxed his shoulders.

"No fever," she stated, rinsing the device and putting it away. "But you are definitely sick with the same illness as some of our other patients. I recommend you stay here in the ward so we can treat you."

The Chinese man frowned. "I can't do that. I have a business meeting to attend to in Moscow tomorrow, and I must leave now if I want to be there early."

Nurse Sheri didn't look to happy with the response. "Alright, but be extremely careful. Don't cough or sneeze directly on anyone, and if any new signs appear, big or small, come back right away, ok?"

_Disease spread to India…_

Yao was about to reply, but as soon as that voice in his head returned with a new message, his heart stopped. "… India… is infected."

The nurse Sheri looked at him curiously. "I'm sorry, I couldn't catch that. What did you say?"

"India!" Yao declared, balling his hands into fists. "India is infected now with whatever disease this is! People there are falling victim to this sickness! We must go and help them!"

The woman frowned. "But how do we do that? And how does it even spread? There is no known strain of this illness that includes coughing or sneezing as a symptom, so infectivity levels should be low."

"We have to think of something!" Yao retorted, biting his lower lip. "And it could be airborne. Whether or not we sneeze shouldn't matter. As long as it's present in the air, it's bound to get inhaled anyway."

The nurse looked at her files. "The disease classified here is a virus. Viruses are not airborne, and are only transmitted through warm fluids." She glanced back at him. "How did it spread to India? And how do you know this?"

"I…" Yao paused for a moment to breathe in a bit, and shook his head. "… I just know." He wondered if it had anything to do with him being the very first patient afflicted with this disease. He thought a bit more about possible methods of transmissions and looked back at Sheri. "It could be waterborne. It's still possible that people drink infected water supplies."

Sheri nodded after a short while. "True… but where exactly did it start?"

_Taeko,_ Yao wanted to say, but shrugged instead. "I don't know. But anyways, we should come up with something and inform people about this virus so we can hinder, if not stop completely, its expansion to other countries."

_Disease found in the Middle East…_

Yao's spine tingled at the return of the inhuman voice whispering in his ears, and he slammed his fist into the wall in rage. "Damn it! It spread again!" he cursed, his knuckles throbbing in pain. "The Middle East is infected! It's spreading so fast, but there's no way we can just isolate our region from the rest of the world. Everyone will get suspicious!"

The nurse frowned and took his hand from the wall. "Please calm down, Yao. What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the virus!" Yao growled, yanking his hand back. "Whatever that girl I met gave me, hundreds of thousands of people are catching that same infection!"

Sheri cringed, alarmed by the patient's sudden outburst. "… What girl?"

Yao had just realized he said too much, and shook his head. "… A girl just… sneezed on me… That's all." He tried to muster a smile, but his lips seemed too heavy to make them curve upward even just a centimeter. "I apologize for scaring you like that. I'm really tired, so I think I'll just go home."

Sheri nodded, signed something and handed him a few papers. "Here are your discharge papers. Please be careful, Mr. Wang."

"I will…"

* * *

Yao finally returned home and sat on his bed, pondering his mind for answers. A week had passed since the illness had emerged in China, or better yet, affected Yao himself. Somehow it spread from him, since he is patient zero, and is quickly infecting all of China at this moment. Surprisingly, it had also spread to neighboring regions, like India and the Middle East. The disease was most likely waterborne, but it could be passed along as long as it was passed by fluids, which included rodent and insect transmission methods as well. The virus portrayed no visible symptoms other than the almost-unnoticeable fever, so it was a silent-but-deadly kind of illness, and it was nearly impossible to track it down. Besides the coughing fit, there is no way to figure out what you have contracted without a CT scan.

Another mystery was the rate in which the countries caught the virus. It was moving at undoubtedly high speeds, despite the low transmission method. Rats and bugs can only infect at such a rate. And infected water supplies don't get countries sick within minutes… do they?

What seemed to intrigue Yao the most is that voice in his head… the one that told him about the ailment progression and how quickly it was evolving. It was a disembodied voice, so he knew for a fact the voice was not from a human. Its hisses sent shivers down his spine, as if he was listening to Death himself. The messages it gave Yao were accurate when determining what symptom had the disease developed, and it coincidentally told about what country was inflicted with the ailment next the second it happened, unconfirmed or not. India and the Middle East were hit head on with that sickness, and Yao knew it. And as soon as the voice whispered '_fever_'as a new sign, the nurse had barged into the room during Yao's check up to warn the doctor that the handful of patients in the hospital suffered from dangerously high temperatures.

For a moment, Yao wondered if he was able to talk to that voice and get a thing or two of good information from it. It was worth a try. "Hey," he wondered aloud to himself, "can you hear me?"

No response.

"How is it you're able to tell when something bad happens with that disease?" he asked. "Who are you and why are you telling all of this to me?"

… Still no answer…

"Are you that disease?" Yao demanded, becoming impatient. "Answer me!"

Nothing...

Yao sighed and lied back on his bed. "Look at me," he laughed quietly, his eyes glued to the ceiling, "I'm talking to myself. How stupid is that?" He frowned. "I'm dumb enough to believe that speaking to a voice in my head will help me. Where will that get me? Absolutely no where, that's where!" He ran his tired fingers in his hair, moving his bangs from his face. "What do I do? Isn't there something I can do to stop the progression of this ailment, if not get rid of it completely?"

_Disease spotted in Russia…_

Yao's eyes widened. He sat upright and bit his lower lip. No… not someone he knew so well… Ivan lived in Russia. As much as Yao despised the man, he did not hate him, and he certainly did not want him to get sick with the same disease China, India, and the Middle East were infected with.

He leaped onto his feet and sprinted for the phone. He grasped it and punched in a few numbers before bringing the receiver to his ear. It was definitely ringing, that was for sure… but no answer. _Calm yourself, Yao… I bet he's fine, _he told himself. _Just wait a few seconds…_

He tapped his fingers on the table, anxiously waiting for the Russian to pick up. Maybe he was out shopping, or putting up with his crazy sisters. _Yeah, that seemed likely_, Yao decided with a smile. _Or maybe_…his heart sank.

Maybe Ivan was suffering from that same coughing fit Yao had the week prior. Maybe he was unable to breathe and could not answer the phone. Maybe he collapsed and fainted from lack of oxygen to his brain… or worse…

"Aiyah!" Yao groaned, shaking his head. "I need to stop thinking such terrible things! Ivan is a country, not a human!" He gazed at the floor, his heart pounding in his chest. "Please be ok, Ivan… answer the phone…"

Still no answer… He gripped the phone even tighter. Ivan's sisters weren't answering either. Were they that busy, or did they not care enough to answer? Were they tending to Ivan who may be writhing on the floor this very second?

"Ivan, if you don't answer the phone in 5 seconds," The Chinese man growled to himself, "I am going to take the next plane to Russia and I am going to-"

"Здравствуйте..?"

"AH!" Yao almost dropped the phone in total shock, but held onto it tightly and sighed in relief. "I am so glad you answered, Ivan. How are you?"

"Oh, Yao, I was not expecting you to be on the other side," the Russian's voice said, sounding pleased to hear him. "I am well, thank you. And how are you feeling? Are you doing better than last week?"

Yao shook his head in response, as if the other could see his gesture. "Not quite," he answered solemnly. "In a way, I am doing worse."

"In a way...?"

"Yes." Yao relaxed a bit. Ivan seemed to be doing fine. He sounded ok, and he didn't give the impression that he had just finished coughing his lungs out… but then again, Yao's symptoms were short lived as well. Maybe there was a seed similar to Yao's lying dormant in the Russian's heart too.

He decided to ask anyway. "Ivan, I need you to be honest with me."

"About what..?" He seemed confused.

"About… an illness," the Chinese man answered reluctantly. "Please tell me. Have you felt, or did you go through, any unusual things lately?"

There was a small pause. "… Can you define _unusual_ things?" the man on the other end queried, masking concern with seriousness.

Yao bit his lip. He was indeed aware of it. "Did you, by any chance, experience a terrible chest pain, or suffered a bad coughing fit…" he inhaled deeply, "… about 1-2 minutes ago?"

"A coughing fit…?"

"Yes." _Please say no, _he begged to himself, clutching the phone even tighter. _Please say no, Ivan. Say no… Prove me wrong and give me some hope… please…_

"…Да."

Yao's heart sank into the pit of his stomach. What was he to do? The ailment was spreading at a horrifyingly rapid speed. The only thing he could do was warn the other nations' ambassadors tomorrow at the meeting in Moscow, but then all of the representatives would be exposed to the virus even more. But what else could they do, other than increase the awareness? "Ivan, we need to tell this to Ludwig and the others. It's something they all need to know."

Another pause…

"Ivan?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, Yao."

Yao blinked. "…Why not?"

There was a sigh before the Russian continued. "What will they do? If we tell them, they will do either one of two things. The first option is tell their governments and release the information about this new contagion to the general public, which will cause panic, fear, riots, chaos, and inevitably, anarchy. Or, they can stay silent but keep you and me under quarantine and forbid transportation to and from our regions. They'll let us die off before they can find a vaccine for the disease, and it's when they _feel_ like finding the cure, not when it's _needed_."

Ivan sounded cold and defensive, but for good reasons. Over the past few centuries, he learned to trust no one but himself, and it was a smart move, especially during the outbreak of war, which was always the case in his home. But at times like this, it was a great risk to take. He continued, "We all know they will put it off as long as it doesn't personally affect them. I think it's pointless. It may be the right thing to do, but it's pointless."

Yao's blood was boiling at how hateful Ivan sounded towards the others. He may be right, he may not know, but there was no need to act like none of these men cared, even just the slightest bit. They definitely weren't heartless. Sure he was unsuccessful at making friends for hundreds of years, but did all of humanity have to pay the price with their lives? He was not going to let it happen. Whether or not Ivan wanted the world to die didn't matter in the decision. No one should have to sacrifice themselves to this virus just because this man here is unhappy. "Still, it is in everyone's best interest collectively. Whatever decision they make is completely up to them. We must comply, or else they will halt all trade and relations and might, worst comes to worst, declare war on us." He lied back in his bed. "Do you agree?"

Another moment of silence passed between them. "… No," Ivan replied curtly, "but you are right. I will go along with it."

Yao pressed his lips into a fine line. "It's as good enough as it gets. It looks like we'll have a new topic to discuss tomorrow." He laughed a bit gloomily.

He could have sworn he heard a soft chuckle from the other end. "… What are you planning on telling them, Yao?"

Yao reached his hand to switch off his lamp light and inhaled deeply, feeling his eyelids droop closed. "小心範圍內的種子…｡ Beware of the seed that lies within…"

* * *

I am not good with translating into different languages, so I used Google Translate, even though it sucks. XD

Here in this chapter is a little bit of an insight for Ivan Braginski, the 4th victim of the ailment. The poor thing wanted friends all his life, but has never received any, and is against warning the others of the disease. Who can blame him, right?

On a more personal note from the author, I really hope I can keep up the pace with typing this story.

And another thing! Since a friendly reader had pointed out to me, Yao seemed to neglect hanging up the phone. It's implied he did after the chapter ends, so it creates some suspense for the next chapter! :D Thanks for pointing that out!


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